Singapore American School - Creating the Future of Learning: Getting Smart
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Creating the Future of Learning:
May 2016
Singapore American School
i Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
Table of Contents
01... Overview: Meet SAS
03... History: A Big School on the Move
04... Vision: A Culture of Excellence,
Possibility & Care
06...... Genius Infused Elementary
06... Transformation: High Impact Learning
from Pre-K to Graduation
08...... A Homebase in the Middle
09...... A Catalyst for High School Reinvention
10...... Relevant Learning Options: Advanced
Topic Courses
12...... High Impact Learning
13...... Global Educators
14...... Parents
15... CONCLUSION
Overview: Meet SAS
A great school takes a “culture of excellence,
Open Date: 1956
possibility, and extraordinary care,” said Dr. Chip
Kimball, at Singapore American School (SAS). Location: Singapore
“As we traveled the world visiting over 100
Grades Served: Preschool-12
schools in seven countries we found many Faculty Members: 375
schools that had one of these cultures in
place and some schools that had two of
Student/Faculty Ratio: 10.3:1
these cultures in place, but very few schools Students Served: 3,943
Campus Tour
01 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
exhibited excellence, possibility, and extraordinary
care,” said Kimball. “This is how SAS wants to
distinguish itself. What makes us unique.”
Founded 60 years ago, the nonprofit independent
day school located about 30 minutes north
of the bustling central business district. The
school serves nearly 4,000 students on a 36
acre campus. It’s the largest American school
outside the U.S. and the largest single campus
international school in the world.
Despite being a large school, SAS has learned to
be nimble starting with the high school which, in
the last two years, has developed a new graduate
profile, improved teacher collaboration, and
developed several student-centered options.
Students at SAS hold passports from around With a landmass about the size of New York City
fifty countries, but two-thirds of them are U.S. and two-thirds its population, Singapore is the
citizens (government regulations prevent SAS world’s only island state. Located a degree north
from serving locals). While admissions are of the equator, it’s hot and humid every day.
open, the school has a history of producing top
performing graduates that attend the world’s best Last year Singapore celebrated its 50th year of
universities—nearly all graduates attend four year independence. The republic is a global hub for
universities, about 80 percent in the U.S. commerce and shipping with a stable and ethical
(but authoritarian) government, no debt and low
The school serves families that live in Singapore tax rates. Three quarters of the population are
long term and some that complete short ethnic Chinese but English is the language of
assignments for multinational corporations. government and education.
The 800 new students welcomed each year
make it a more dynamic environment than most
independent schools.
02 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
History: A Big School on the Move
Dr. Kimball, arrived in Singapore in 2012 after a Leading strategic programs is Dr. Timothy Stuart,
well regarded term as system head in Microsoft’s a Gates Millennium Scholars. Having grown up in
backyard in Redmond, Washington. Dr. Kimball Europe, Stuart’s journey as an international educator
found four high performing but traditional schools started in Turkey and Switzerland. He worked at
sharing the Woodlands campus on the northern Northwest Indian College on the Lummi Reservation
coast of Singapore. The primary, intermediate, while completing his PhD and moved to the Navajo
middle, and high school schools operated Reservation in New Mexico to serve as the high
independently. The board viewed the schools as school principal of Rehoboth Christian School, a
successful but stalled. Test scores were good but Gates Foundation grantee. In 2007 he became
they knew there was an opportunity to improve high school principal at Jakarta Intercultural School
student preparation. and three years later Stuart took the same post
in Singapore at SAS and kickstarted the change
Before arriving at SAS, Dr. Kimball considered process the year before Kimball arrived.
himself a global thinker—he hung out with Microsoft
executives and frequently spoke nationally about The most important investment turned out to be a
globalization and its impact on students —but he commitment to visiting the best schools in the world.
worried that he hadn’t experienced globalization Over the last four years 85 SAS educators have
extensively first hand. He wanted the opportunity visited more than 100 schools in seven countries.
to immerse in a global setting and see the new In addition to well known U.S. schools like High
economy first hand. The opportunity to help create Tech High in San Diego and Avenues in New York
a next generation international school in Singapore (and many of our Schools Worth Visiting), the team
arrived at the right time. found trips to Auckland, New Zealand most relevant
given how coherent and progressive independent
The first two years of the change process included Stonefields School and Hobsonville Point Schools
difficult budget and personnel changes. The board were. Kimball said about the trips, “It transformed our
allocated a half of a percent of the $135 million thinking.” Stuart added, “It created what John Kotter
annual budget to innovation. Dr. Kimball created an would call of ‘sense of urgency’ for change.”
Office of Innovation, part of a three year research and
development process. The second and third year
of the transformation included significant capacity
building. The 2015-16 school year was a year many
changes were implemented.
03 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
Vision: A Culture of
Excellence, Possibility & Care
“What is becoming increasingly clear as we look In addition to traveling the world, SAS brings top
ahead is that order for students to be competitive in talent to campus for a reality check and to reduce
our ever-changing world, they need to be creative, isolation. The faculty appreciated Dr. Tony Wagner’s
innovative, flexible in their thinking, and they will need “new survival skills” and adapted his 7Cs, among
to mobilize their skills effectively,” explains Dr. Kimball. other sources, to create the SAS desired student
learning outcomes; they include content knowledge,
cultural competence, character, collaboration,
communication, critical thinking, and creativity.
04 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
When Wagner visited SAS, he said, “I don’t much more as an integrated K-12 school. A summary
remember ever having been to a school as old of the recently adopted strategic plan is below.
and established as this that is taking the ideas
of educational research and development and With expanded opportunities for student directed
innovation so seriously, so thoughtfully, and in such learning—projects, makerspace, STEM labs, and
courageous and committed ways.” coding—there has been a noticeable shift from a
focus on content memorization to the development
Visits and visitors helped shape a new “culture of and demonstration of skills and dispositions over the
excellence, possibility, and care.” All three elements last three years at SAS.
are visible in the classrooms of what is now operating
SAS Strategic Plan Summary
Standards High impact Systems Professional
-based instructional Pastoral supporting learning
approach practices care learning communities
Valid, reliable, fair Regular inquiry, Culture of With service Focus on learning,
assessments target experiential and extraordinary care excellence lens, P-12 committed to
unit outcomes and personalized learning supported by departments improvement,
growth; evidence is focused on desired advisory, social collaborate for collective answers,
gathered for each outcomes supported emotional learning effective and structures support
outcome area (7Cs); by structures and programs, effective integrated systems to intervention and
reporting and other practices transitions, and support student collaboration
systems support structures learning
standards-based
approach
05 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
Transformation: High Impact
Learning from Pre-K to Graduation
The following case study resulted from
a March 2016 school visit and outlines
the evidence of transformation of one
large school from preschool to high
school.
Genius Infused Elementary
After starting his teaching career in
Colorado mountain towns, David
Hoss decided to try a few years in
Singapore. He never left, and 26 years
later he is head of the 2000 student
SAS (P-5) elementary school.
The play-based SAS preschool hub
has 48 students, three teachers and
four aids and in a Reggio Emilia
inspired environment focused on
symbolic language (pre-literacy and
pre-numeracy).
The focus starting in kindergarten is to
make them strong readers, writers, and
mathematicians. The literacy program
is based on Columbia Teachers
College Reading and Writing Project.
Elementary classrooms contain rich
06 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
leveled reading libraries. Student
developed Anchor posters outline key
writing concepts.
Teachers, with a maximum of
22 students, are supported by
instructional aides. Students receive
instruction in reading, writing, math,
social studies, and science in their
classrooms.
Each day students participate in art,
music or physical education.
World language exposure—either
Mandarin or Spanish—starts in
preschool. K-1 students receive 30
minutes of language instruction per
day, that increases to 45 min in grade
two. Students join novice, intermediate
or advanced language groups and use
a proficiency based approach. There
are 18 Mandarin teachers devoted
to elementary grades. Students use
their iPads to record stories and
teachers provide feedback. This
sophisticated approach is yielding high
levels of fluency as student move into
intermediate grades.
Elementary grade level teams review
a subject each year. This year the fifth
grade team focused on reading and as
a result, saw a big gain in the percentage of students topic they want to learn about.” Jonathan, a fifth
reading above grade level. Most grade levels have 13 grader (pictured above) who recently moved to
classes so when a grade level team gets together, it Singapore from Seattle, coded a game in Scratch.
means two dozen people in a large conference room. Other students made animated movies, or crafted
instruments.
A new Genius Hour provides elementary students
with the opportunity to pursue passion projects. The library is an active learning space (above)
Students spend 90 minutes each week on a equipped with a Zspace virtual reality station.
07 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
Science class (on the right) focuses
on learning through experimentation.
There is a elementary maker room for
recess and lunch time projects.
Each two year grade span (i.e., K-1,
2-3, 4-5) is supported by a librarian
and instructional coach. There is a
technology specialist supporting the 13
classrooms per grade.
A Homebase in the Middle
A new middle school administrative
team is led by principal Lauren
Mehrbach who, after launching her
career as an international teacher in
Venezuela, taught English and was
as a high school administrator at SAS
for a dozen years. After serving as a
principal in Tunisia, Mehrbach returned
to SAS in 2014.
The 950 middle school students are
generous at accepting the many
newcomers that join their ranks each
year. One thing that helps create a safe
and supportive culture is a daily “home
base” advisory meeting. A dozen
students meet with their advisor for 20
minutes each morning. The home base
curriculum focuses on social emotional learning. The middle school is broken into three teams (sides),
Middle grade advisors work in support teams of nine. A, B and C to make a big school feel small. Each
is supported by a set of teachers. During the third
“Self actualizing requires a safe place,” said week of school, the entire school in their respective
Mehrbach. “We want to make sure every student is teams take a trip to regional destination (often nearby
known and cared for.” Malaysia or Indonesia).
08 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartA 1:1 laptop program was
implemented in 2013-14. One
benefit is expanded writing across
the curriculum. Eighth graders blog
reflections about performing arts,
social studies, and science.
Last year the middle school grades
adopted a standards-based grading
protocol and record results in the
PowerSchool gradebook. The shift
uncovered a wide variety of how
student work was assessed and how
grades were reported. Assessments
are correlated with Measures of
Academic Progress (MAP) from
NWEA in grades three through
nine. The faculty commitment to collaborating many SAS students, and some took 15 or more AP
in professional learning communities has been classes in their last three years.
key to moving toward consistent expectations,
assessments, and grading. As part of the research phase of the change process,
the SAS team interviewed 100 college admissions
The Physical Education program focuses on officers and asked about AP. “We heard colleges
movement patterns. Students use video to reflect say that what they were looking for in students was
on their performance. Across the curriculum, SAS is evidence of deep intellectual exploration in an area of
developing approaches to digital cataloging work, interest or passion,” said Stuart.
“We want it to be learning journey,” said Mehrbach.
Like many schools, SAS leaders are searching for They heard consistently about a point of diminishing
ways to better mark the student journey without returns—after passing a half a dozen AP tests, it’s
adding more complexity. obvious that a student has mastered college level
content. Concerns were also expressed about the
historical focus of content over critical thinking in
A Catalyst for many AP courses (College Board has redesigned
High School Reinvention some AP courses to improve readiness). As a result,
In terms of Advanced Placement (AP) courses SAS students will be limited to seven AP classes
offered and passing rates, SAS is one of the top (beginning with the graduating class of 2021) and,
high schools in the world. SAS offers around thirty as a replacement, complement, or extension, are
AP courses each year. Most students participate in encouraged to take one of 10 Advanced Topic (AT)
the program--86 percent of 2014 graduates took at courses (available by 2019-20) developed by SAS
least one AP exam and most students take multiple faculty in conjunction with professional and university
exams. To boost attractiveness to top colleges, experts (see next page exhibit). Like AP courses,
racking up AP credits became a central focus for students get a GPA bump for taking an AT course.
09 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartRelevant Learning Options: Advanced Topic Courses
After defining desired student outcomes, the SAS Center of Innovation developed criteria for Advanced Topic
(AT) courses had three objectives:
1 Create the opportunity to take collegiate level courses that were project-based and interdisciplinary.
2 Redefine what it meant to be “smart” at SAS and not be bound by the College board’s definition of intelligence. By filling the
high level course gap, create the opportunity to challenge themselves at highest level (e.g., offering “AT Exercise Physiology”
as a part of Physical Education).
3 Provide the opportunity to go beyond AP courses. Giving students options to go farther and deeper based on their interests
and passions is a major tenet of the R&D recommendations (e.g., beyond AP Chinese offer Chinese Literature and Philosophy
course taught in Chinese).
AT Development Criteria include: Courses developed and in development include:
• Relevant content, skills, and application Current Courses Courses in Development
• Competency-based rigor (content, skills, AT Performing Arts AT Entrepreneurship
and application) AT Kinesiology AT Applied Science/Engineering
• Desired student learning outcome AT English Writing Seminar AT Spanish Immersion
development (21st Century Skills) AT Tropical Ecology AT Problem Analysis/
• Depth over breadth AT Chinese Language/History Economics
• Focus on production AT Data Analytics AT Math Application
• Real world applications AT Design Thinking* AT Computer Science
• External validation (where possible) AT Research and Composition* AT Literary Studies
There are several self-directed learning options in the Catalyst, a self-directed and personalized senior
high school. AP Research allows students to conduct research project, was piloted last year and is a
and explore a topic and submit and defend a 5,000 graduation requirement for the class of 2018.
word paper. Students can earn an AP Capstone Students have used the opportunity to study topics
Diploma by successfully completing AP Seminar, AP such as Kawasaki disease (with a published journal
Research Exams, and four additional AP Exams. article), the intersection of quantified self and the
Internet of Things, analysis of big data sets in
neuroscience, and the psychology of wealth.
10 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartQuest is a full year option for seniors starting in
2016-17 that includes a sequence of interdisciplinary
projects. “Quest is our attempt to build the school of
the future, today,” said Stuart. “It is the culmination of
all of our research over the last four years. Ironically,
it is creating a Reggio-inspired learning environment
for grade 12 students,” added Stuart.
High school principal Dr. Darin Fahrney, served as
principal of a large suburban high school outside of
Milwaukee before joining SAS as deputy principal. Watch this video to learn more about the
His doctoral research focused on how to build change process and Catalyst projects.
systems of intervention to ensure that all students
learn at high levels.
Fahrney was attracted to the international perspective
central to the school’s mission and reflected in
academic offerings, service opportunities, and
extracurricular activities. “Our vision is to provide
everyone the opportunity to explore interest and
pursue passions in new and flexible ways,” said
Fahrney. (See 2016-17 course catalog.)
SAS students participate in a week long “Interim
Semester” every year. Experiences beyond the
traditional classroom, with every high school faculty Watch Zane and Jesse’s video about
member and student participating in one of 60 trips their microfinance project addressing a
to 28 countries, focusing on either global studies, fundamental health issue for women in India.
service, or eco adventure. At least one of the four
Interim Semester trips must be devoted to service.
High school students lead 60 service clubs—most
are original to the school, some are chapters of an advisory program, which was the result of 18
international aid organizations. (See leaders of the months of planning and capacity building. Every
Executive Service Council below.) SAS high school student belongs to a small advisory
group, and has an advisor who mentors them, helps
To guide students through their high school years them track their progress, set goals, discuss and
and ensure that students have at least one adult that solve learning issues, and build on their capacities to
knows them well, this year the division implemented take responsibility for their learning.
11 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartHigh Impact Learning
New Zealander Treena Casey leads the Office
of Learning. Before joining SAS in 2011, Casey
provided curriculum leadership in international
schools in China and Thailand.
Casey’s team provides curriculum leadership and
student support services. Five instructional coaches
and about 50 learning support specialists support
the 375 faculty. A senior member of the team owns
each element of the strategic plan: PLCs, standards-
based approach, high impact instruction, pastoral
care, and systems supporting learning. At the heart
of the strategic plan is the shift from content-focused,
teacher-led instruction to skills-based student-
centered learning.
The transformation included libraries. “We created a
vision centered around a hub concept of information,
innovation and impact on students–a Center of
Innovation,” said Bob Helmer, high school librarian.
“We renovated our newly rethought space and
transformed some areas of the old library footprint
into a design lab, guided study lab, multimedia
studio and makerspace,” added Helmer.
High Impact Instructional Practices 1.0 High Impact Instructional Practices 2.0
Teachers implement high-impact pedagogical Students shape high-impact learning experiences
practices that explicitly target the desired student that deepen their learning and shift the focus from
learning outcomes to a deeper learning and shift the the teacher to themselves, resulting in the ability
focus from teacher to student, resulting in actively to demonstrate cultural competence and strong
engaged learners. When students actively pose and character while utilizing content knowledge to be
solve problems, work collaboratively in a community critical and creative thinkers as well as effective
of peers, experience real-world applications of collaborators and communicators. Engagement in
knowledge, and reflect on their learning processes, high-impact practices will allow students to take
learning is deeper and more complex. ownership in their learning, resulting in exceptional
thinkers prepared for their future.
12 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartProfessional Learning Communities 1.0 Professional Learning Communities 2.0
Teachers actively engage in effective professional Students and teachers actively engage in effective
learning communities whose members work PLCs to achieve common student-learning goals
interdependently to achieve common student- for which members are mutually accountable.
learning goals for which members are mutually Students own their own learning process by asking
accountable. We believe every child has value and and answering the four critical PLC questions for
can learn at high levels. PLCs guarantee a common, themselves (see below). Every child has value
viable curriculum where teams take collective and can learn at high levels. PLCs guarantee a
responsibility for all students’ learning, and ensure common, viable curriculum where teachers and
that faculty work collaboratively to leverage their students take collective responsibility for student
expertise and analyze evidence of learning to learning, and ensure that faculty and students
improve their own practice and maximize each work collaboratively to leverage their expertise and
child’s learning and growth. analyze evidence of learning to improve their own
instructional and learning strategies and maximize
their learning and growth.
Central to the SAS transformation is the use PLCs have been a critical vehicle for SAS faculty to
of professional learning communities (PLC) as discuss, synthesize, and incorporate innovations
popularized by author Rick DuFour. SAS is a model observed on school visits and discussed in the
PLC school in all divisions. Teachers collaborate R&D phase. The next phase of PLC will encourage
in PLCs to set learning targets, refine academic students ask the questions:
offerings, and develop common assessments. PLCs • What do I want to know and be able to do?
focus on collective learning for all students and • How will I demonstrate that I have learned it?
teachers through cycles of inquiry. PLCs answer the • What will I do when I am stuck and I am no
following questions: longer learning?
• What is it that we want students to know and do? • What will I do when I already know it?
• How will we know when they know and can do it?
• What do we do when students don’t get it?
• What do we do if students have already gotten it? Global Educators
About three-quarters of the SAS faculty members
Teachers are currently the ones asking and are from North America. About the same percentage
answering PLC questions. The SAS strategic plan hold master’s or doctorate degrees. International
focuses on building student agency and inviting educators are well paid—a good salary, generous
them to co-curate their own learning—to become health and travel benefits, a housing subsidy, and
part of next generation PLCs. long vacations. They are able to save a good portion
of their salary.
13 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting SmartFor younger educators, teaching internationally creates a new sense of freedom and an opportunity to see the world. Once a teacher has been teaching internationally for a while, the experience can create an uneasy sense of what Kimball called “unrootedness.” For the first few years many rent out their house assuming they’ll return. When they don’t, some sell their primary residence and may purchase a vacation home to visit during the long summer break and a link back to a place to call home. Tim Stuart said some international teachers finally become “citizens of the world,” like his kids who claim to be from “everywhere and nowhere.” Parents Admissions Director Mona Stuart occasionally receives a visit from a preschool parent seeking the foolproof path to Harvard. She also deals with anxious spouses of multinational executives that unexpectedly land in Singapore with a child or two and find themselves in need of a new school. Parents hire SAS to prepare their son or SAS has a track record of academic success daughter—at a price of about $25,000 U.S. per that appeals to parents. In addition to keeping year-- to gain admissions to one of the world’s their academic goalposts relevant, SAS provides leading universities. While preparing for careers parenting supports and workshops on timely topics and citizenship may be the broader goal, the such as managing screen time, managing social prerequisite of a loaded transcript and top test media risks, and college planning. scores are near term imperative for most parents. The talented and driven students are often more competitive than their parents. 14 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart
CONCLUSION
School systems quickly create sedimentary layers SAS is charting the path forward for international
of policies and practices that form a legacy which schools with a new graduate profile and learning
can be enormously powerful in positive as well experiences designed to prepare young people for
as negative ways--often simultaneously. As an careers and citizenship. The R&D undertaking at high
academically successful school--one of the best AP capacity schools like SAS is a critical leadership role
schools in the world-- SAS has sent generations of for the sector, particularly during the historical shift
students off to the finest universities in the world. from print to digital, from content-centric to skills-
This history of success had, until about five years based learning, from teacher-centric instruction to
ago, caused SAS to stall--to operate in ways that learner-centered experiences, and from time bound
were familiar but increasingly less relevant to the schedules to competency-based progressions.
idea economy.
In this new sector leadership role, there are 10
Kickstarted by high school innovations five years features worth noting about SAS:
ago, a thoughtful board pushed for a new kind of
superintendent, one familiar with best practices of •1 Rigorous preparation: SAS leadership
high performing systems and the new economy. understands the ‘job to be done’ with a
Chip Kimball found an innovation partner in high commitment to continuously reexamining
school principal Tim Stuart. They used school visits how that is defined and measured, “culture of
to inspire a talented but isolated faculty. Exposure excellence.”
to the best schools in the world and a new group of •2 Commitment to R&D: A standing innovation
critical friends resulted in updated student learning fund sponsors school visits and pilots
expectations. Professional learning communities projects that powers the school’s forward
created collaboration routines that broke down lean. Professional learning communities help
barriers and hosted tough conversations. New navigate the tension between improvement and
tools created new learning opportunities. There is a innovation.
new spirit at SAS, one that embraces the job to be •3 Agency: To boost student ownership and
done but with relevant outcomes, one that values student-directed learning, SAS has introduced
execution and innovation, one that embraces a Reggio-inspired early learning, Genius Hour
culture of possibility. in elementary, TriTime, STEM Lab and active
science in middle school, Catalyst course and
the Quest program in high school.
15 Creating the Future of Learning: Singapore American School Getting Smart•4 Deeper learning: Capping maximum AP •9 Technology integration: Better than 1:1
courses and introducing more challenging technology access powers anywhere anytime
interdisciplinary and project-based Advanced learning.
Topics courses is a bold move signaling a •10 Teacher collaboration: All of this is
commitment to relevant preparation and depth accomplished by a talented faculty committed
over breadth. to working together in professional learning
•5 Public presentations: students blog, publish communities.
and present across the curriculum.
•6 Pastoral care: To personalize a large school and The new SAS strategy clearly describes learning
accommodate all the newcomers, SAS uses an 2.0. The blueprint of site visits and teacher
advisory program to make sure every student is collaboration is a formula that any school can follow
known and cared for. to create their own future. School visits proved
•7 Ethic of service: SAS encourages student transformational for the SAS faculty. A culture of
leadership when it comes to community service excellence, possibility and care makes SAS an
and supports a variety of ways for students to inspiring school worth visiting.
make a difference.
•8 Global competency: A commitment to dual
language fluency starts in preschool. Daily
language exposure is complemented by an
international focus across the curriculum.
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